June 17, 2015

How to Babyproof Your Home

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Adalyn is 8 (almost 9) months old and since about 7 1/2 months, has been on the go. She can crawl quickly now and can pull herself to standing up. Just yesterday, I left the dog's bowl of water out and she picked it up and spilled it everywhere. The previous day, she found a leaf that had gotten dragged inside and put it in her mouth. Today, she grabbed my water bottle and cell phone and tried to take them away. She is a girl on the move and we realized that we needed to take our babyproofing up a notch in order to keep her safe.

Here are some of the things that we are doing to keep our home safe for baby:
1. Leaving nothing dangerous on the ground
Cords are Adalyn's best friends right now and everytime we see her try to grab one, we tell her "no" firmly. We are making sure to vacuum more often because any little thing may get picked up and put into her mouth. For a split second, I had left a boxcutter on the ground from my blog packages and luckily realized that before Adalyn did. She also loves pine needles, grass and twigs.

Everything that was okay being within reach is no longer okay. Make sure to remove everything from your child's way that may be harmful in any way.

2. Put up a baby gate
We have a baby gate going from our kitchen to the basement so that Adalyn does not fall down the stairs. We still have two more to put up. I love the kind where the latch comes up easily and you can swing the door open instead of having to step over a gate. I am too clumsy for that!


3. Keep bathtime safe
Adalyn can sit up in the bath by herself now and can be in there by herself. I always start out by showering with her in there and then I wash her when I am done. She loves to play in the bath and is not ready to get out when I am so I let her play in there. Never leave the child alone in the bath! I never step away and am directly next to her the whole time. Also, around the tub, we had many of our bottles of shampoo, body wash, etc. which I have found is not okay anymore. Adalyn will pull these into the bath with her so I need to make sure to put these up higher. Also, ensure that the water is not too hot.


4. Make sure the crib is safe
Several weeks ago, we looked at the baby video monitor and saw that Adalyn was standing by herself!! Time to lower that crib immediately! That same evening, Troy lowered the part of the crib that baby lays in so that she cannot get out. Also, somehow she got a book that was on top of the changing table into her crib (changing table is attached to the crib) so I realized that we have to keep nothing on there.


5. Use typical babyproofing gear
We have not put these up yet but some ideas include using cordless blinds (we have these) or put cords up, put up cabinet and drawer locks, put cleaning products and any chemicals up high, and use outlet covers or sliding outlets. We have a lot of this gear and plan to use it soon.

6. Keep the house super clean
We have always been pretty tidy people but now with a baby on the move, we are cleaning more than ever. Adalyn just was crawling yesterday by a forgotten corner and picked up some dust bunnies. Time to sweep! Also, since she is touching all of our surfaces, we make sure to wipe things down really well. Other chores that we have to be extra diligent about includes extra vacuuming, dusting, sweeping and picking up any extra little pieces that come in from outside.


I recently tried some Clorox products which I purchased at Target that have been helpful in keeping our home clean so that it is clean and safe for baby. I have been using the Clorox scrub singles bathroom pads to keep our bathroom clean for baby. Just wet, scrub and toss. These are already loaded with cleaner and I wipe all of the surfaces with them. Adalyn is often on the bathroom floor so I feel good when it is all cleaned.


The Clorox Pump 'N Clean Kitchen and Dish Cleaner is great for washing down the counters and doing the dishes. We have so many dishes and this gets our dishes clean quickly. It is food safe without harsh chemical residues which is important for my baby. 


The Clorox Triple Action Dust Wipes are good for the rest of the house. You can dust a whole room with just 1 wipe! I love this. I just grab a wipe and clean the whole room quickly. I especially do this in our living and family rooms which accumulate dust bunnies quickly to keep them away from my baby girl. Our dogs don't shed too much but if you have pets that do, these wipes will pick them up well.


I like these products because they make my home cleaner quickly. I work full time and want to spend as much time with my husband and daughter as possible and don't want to spend forever cleaning. These Clorox products help me to know that my house is clean enough without spending a lot of time using them. To save money on your Clorox purchases, use this Cartwheel deal.


What are some of your favorite baby proofing tips?

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Comments

  1. What a great post! We have a little one on the way, and I totally need to brush up on all of the tips and tricks. Keeping the house clean will be good for everyone...not just the little one. Thanks for sharing! #client

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